The internet has connected the world like never before. But alongside remarkable innovation and progress, it has also enabled new threats that serve to divide us. This dark side of the web remains invisible to most, transpiring on encrypted networks away from prying eyes. The dark web economy of disinformation is growing, fuelling mischief that undermines democracy and truth.

What is the Dark Web?

The internet we interact with everyday represents just a fraction of the broader web. Search engines index and make publicly accessible websites and information termed the “surface web.” But beyond this lies the deep web – unindexed sites hidden behind passwords and paywalls. The dark web represents a small portion of the deep web intentionally concealed on networks like Tor that use encryption and relay routing to guarantee anonymity.

While enabling free speech resistant to censorship, this obscurity also supports criminal enterprises. The dark web economy deals in illegal goods and services including drugs, firearms, hacking tools, and access to compromised computer systems. More insidiously, it also provides a marketplace for ideas dangerous to open discourse and civil stability.

Disinformation for Hire

There is big money to be made in deception. Concerted disinformation campaigns have become a go-to tactic for shaping narratives and influencing opinion. Private firms now contract services from dark web providers to surreptitiously spread select narratives, attack reputations, and sway elections.

Disinformation-for-hire operations use astroturfing, social media manipulation, bot networks, and fabricated propaganda. Services allow customers to anonymously purchase online comments, blog posts, Tweets, likes, and followers to create the illusion of grassroots support for a particular agenda. Fake think tanks, news sites, and biased Wikipedia articles add a perception of validity and factuality.